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I had been stalking the sounds of a herd of stags for over a mile through the woods, before I lost the light and needed to return home empty handed. But, as I neared the car, I was treated to this glorious scene.

This photo was taken in a side street in Cesky Krumlov, which is a fantastic UNESCO heritage town in the Czech Republic. Since the 1600s only 5 - that's FIVE buildings have been rebuilt... the rest are of the period (and earlier).

Canon FDn 50mm f/1.2 L on Sony A7r.

"Burning Skies Over Florence"

At first, the sunset was a non-event due to clouds masking the sun as it went down. Somewhat disappointed, I packed up my things and headed for the bus stop. Thankfully, I missed the bus, because 15 mins later, the clouds parted and we were treated to this amazing sight. I ran back to my perch with the thousand other tourists and managed to fire off a dozen shots, before the show was over.

The colours make this image. The neon green form an outer triangle that helps focus the eye on the centre, but the purple light on the right funnels towards a point in the centre of the arch where the folks in purple form an apex.

It was touch and go as to whether we would make the journey up the mountain, because it was pouring with rain in the village and the valley was smothered in dense cloud. However, as we ascended through the cloud and emerged into sunlight, we knew that we had made the right decision. It was a fantastic day, and one of only two such occasions, where I've snowboarded in blistering sunlight, surrounded by a sea of clouds; despite my having spent at least 6 months in the mountains.

A ceramiics shop decorated this tree to catch the eyes of passing trade. It worked for me! But, the amazing thing is how these pots relate to an ancient dish dating back a thousand years. Read on....

When I arrived in Cappadocia, I wondered at why there were so many local potters dishing out such poor quality pots. It turned out that the local delicacy, called 'testi kebap', is an oven baked kebab dish that is cooked inside its own clay pot, and the pot must be smashed to get at its contents. Thus, a new pot for every customer means a lot of pots, which is great for the local economy as someone has to source the clay as well.

The Cappadocian town of Avanos has been known for making these pots since the time of the Hittites (1600-1178 BCE). The town's name betrays its Greek origins, which explains why you may sometimes see the area referred to Kappadocia, from the Greek. The mix of cultures also created a hybrid language called Cappadocian Greek. The Turkish emigration policy of the 1920s saw the forced relocation of Cappadocian Greeks to northern Greece, and by the 1960s it was thought the language was extinct. However, in 2005, university researchers discovered third-generation fluent speakers of the language, who were positive to their cultural heritage, contrary to their parents and grandparents who switched to Standard Modern Greek and were reluctant to speak their mother tongue.

I bet you had no idea that the story of an entire people could be gleaned from a humble clay pot.

This photograph is full of Viennese references. Firstly, the menus are on sticks, which hang on a stand; the cappuccino is made with cream, not milk, and is served with a glass of water (to clean the palate). Lastly, the cake is the famous Sacher Torte.
It was all rather delicious!

There are records of a pier in Cromer back as far as 1391, although then it was more of a jetty. In the year 1582, Queen Elizabeth I, in a letter to the inhabitants of Cromer granted rights to export wheat, barley and malt with the proceeds to be used for the maintenance and well-being of the pier and the town of Cromer.

Today it is the only pier in Europe to house a functioning theatre. It's also home to the RNLI Cromer Division.

These strange conical shaped buildings have been used to dry hops since the seventeenth century. They are quintessential to the Kentish landscape. Hops is the key ingredient in British beer that turned traditional ales into 'bitters'.

This impressive cistern was built in the 6th century by Emperor Justinian. It spans a massive 140m by 65m and the fact it is still viable is a testament to the civilisation that built it. The live fish it contains were used by the Romans as an early warning system to detect unpotable water.

The Castle Tower at Cesky Krumlov sits on a promontory towering over the banks of the Vltava River.

"Dürnstein in the Evening Sun"

This small village lies on the banks of the river Danube under the gaze of a small ruined castle at the top of the hill. The ruin was formerly Duerrstein "dry stone" Castle and is one of the places where King Richard I of England (the Lionheart) was held captive by Leopold V, Duke of Austria during the Third Crusade.

The castle was destroyed around 1645 by Swedish troops during the Thirty Years' War.